The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has weighed in on the Cavi papaya Salmonella Uganda outbreak, declaring the outbreak over as of September 12, 2019, with 81 people sick in 9 states. That's an increase of 10 more illnesses and one more affected state since the last update. Twenty-seven people were hospitalized because they were so ill. No deaths were reported. The case count by state is: Connecticut (15), Delaware (1), Florida (2), Massachusetts (6), New Jersey (22), New York (29), Pennsylvania (4), Rhode Island (1), and Texas (1). Illness onset dates range from January 14, 2019 to July 16, 2019. Most of the illnesses occurred since April, 2019. The patient age range is from less than one year to 90 years. Of 48 people who identified their ethnicity, 31, or 65%, … [Read more...]
Salmonella Uganda Outbreak Potentially Linked to Cavi Papayas Ends with 81 Sick
The Salmonella Uganda outbreak potentially linked to Cavi papayas imported from Mexico by Agroson's LLC has ended with 81 sick in 9 states, according to the CDC; the FDA's investigational activities are still ongoing. Twenty-seven people were hospitalized because they were so sick. That's an increase of 10 more illnesses and one more state since the last update in July 2019. No deaths have been reported. The patient case count by state is: Connecticut (15), Delaware (1), Florida (2), Massachusetts (6), New Jersey (22), New York (29), Pennsylvania (4), Rhode Island (1), and Texas (1). The last illness onset date was July 16, 2019. The papayas potentially linked to this outbreak are no longer available for purchase, so the FDA says that consumers no longer need to avoid or withhold … [Read more...]
Two More Illnesses in Philadelphia E. coli Outbreak Brings Total to 16
The Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has now sickened two more people, according to news reports. There are now 16 people sickened in that outbreak, which officials think is linked to restaurants in the area. However, officials are not releasing the names of restaurants they think are involved in this outbreak. James Garrow, spokesperson for the health department, said in a statement, "The Health Department's investigation, like all foodborne illness investigations, takes time. This a wide-ranging investigation that asks very sick people to list every single thing that they’ve eaten or drank, at the level of every individual ingredient, during the period when they were exposed to the bug. This generates a massive list of possible items and locations that may have been the … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Associated With Restore Public House in La Crosse WI
A Salmonella outbreak associated with steak tartare served at Restore Public House in La Crosse, Wisconsin has sickened 17 people, Jen Rombalski, Health Director of the La Crosse County Health Department told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an email. Steak tartare is made from beef that is finely chopped, mixed with other ingredients, and served raw. This food is considered "high risk." The restaurant prepared it properly, according to public health officials. Restaurants can serve these foods, according to Ms. Rombalski, as long as they post an advisory telling consumers that the food is risky to consume. The issue with foods like this is it doesn't matter how well the food is handled. Raw meats, especially ground beef, are often contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella and E. … [Read more...]
Philadelphia E. coli Outbreak Sickens At Least 14
A Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 14 people, according to a Health Alert issued by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Public health officials "have identified a few shared restaurant exposures," in their ongoing case investigation, but no one restaurant or food has been named so far. In the past, E. coli outbreaks have been linked to ground beef, flour, animals at county fairs, raw milk, and lettuce. Just about any food can be contaminated with this pathogen through cross-contamination. The source of E. coli is typically found in the guts of ruminant animals such as cows and goats and is shed in their feces. Person-to-person transmission is also possible because the infectious does is small; just 10 bacteria. The patient age range in this outbreak … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Outpost Natural Foods in Wisconsin
A Salmonella outbreak linked to food from Outpost Natural Food in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has sickened at least four people, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the City of Milwaukee Health Department suspended meat and food processing at Outpost on August 23, 2019. At that time, officials said that no illnesses were associated with foods produced at the company's facility at 2826 South Kinnickinnic Avenue. Insanitary conditions were discovered during a routine inspection. Some ready-to-eat products tested positive for Salmonella during that inspection. As of August 26, 2019, there are four people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella found at Outpost Natural Foods. Three of … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Has Sickened 1696 People As Of August 28, 2019 in the U.S.
Domestically acquired cases of cyclospora have sickened 1,696 people in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City as of August 28, 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of these illnesses are linked to fresh imported basil and some restaurants and events throughout the country. But many of the individual cases could not be linked to a specific outbreak, in part because of the lack of validated molecular typing tools for the Cyclospora parasite. Identified cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the summer of 2019 include: An outbreak linked to fresh basil imported by Siga Logistics from Mexico, which has sickened at least 205 people in 11 states. That outbreak was last updated on August 15, 2019. An outbreak associated with three … [Read more...]
Pig Ear Salmonella Outbreak Has Sickened 143 People in 35 States
The pig ear Salmonella outbreak has now sickened at least 143 people in 35 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thirty-three people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. People can get sick after handling the treats or caring for or touching the dogs who ate them. Dogs can get sick too. Sixteen ill persons have been added to this investigation after the last update on July 31, 2019. The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arizona (1), California (1), Colorado (3), Connecticut (1), Florida (3), Georgia (3), Hawaii (1), Illinois (10), Indiana (5), Iowa (23), Kansas (3), Kentucky (6), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (4), Michigan (14), Minnesota (1), Missouri (7), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (3), New Mexico (1), … [Read more...]
Why Are Listeria Illness Onset Dates Spread Out Over Years?
The current Listeria monocytogenes outbreak identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that has no identified source has been going on since 2017. Looking back through our archives, we have found that this is not an isolated incident. Why are Listeria illness onset dates spread out over years? Listeria monocytogenes is a dangerous pathogen. When people in certain categories, including people with compromised immune systems, chronic illnesses, the elderly, and pregnant women, contract this infection, many people get seriously ill. Most, if not all, of those sickened with listeriosis end up in the hospital. And the mortality rate for patients in these groups can be as high as 20-30%. In the Listeria outback linked to unnamed deli meats and cheeses, which has … [Read more...]
Are the Canadian and American Listeria Outbreaks One and the Same?
There are currently two Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada that were announced last week by the respective governments of those countries. There are a lot of similarities between the two outbreaks. So the question is: are the Canadian and American Listeria outbreaks the same? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the U.S. outbreak last Friday. As of August 23, 2019, 24 people are sick with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Illness onset dates are from July 20, 2017 to August 1, 2019. And as of August 23, 2019, there are seven cases of listeriosis in Canada. The illness onset dates for that country are between November 2017 and June 2019. Here's the crucial statement. The CDC says, "Whole genome sequencing showed that the … [Read more...]
